Paddington Bear saves Christmas in M&S’s new festive advert

The marmalade loving bear from darkest Peru looks set to steal the show this Christmas as M&S has released its official festive advert starring none other than Paddington Bear.

The heartwarming 90 second mini-feature film sees Michael Bond’s iconic brown bear catch a burglar stealing Christmas presents from his adopted family on Christmas Eve.

But the much loved bear shows the burglar the error of his ways and helps him to re-deliver the presents back to where they belong.

Paddington seals their new found friendship by offering the burglar a marmalade sandwich and a hug.

The advert, which premiered today, comes ahead of the release of Paddington 2 and has been launched with the hashtag #LoveTheBear.

Rob Weston, brand and marketing director at M&S said: “Paddington injects the sense of joy, love and neighbourly spirit that makes Christmas feel magical and our story reflects the inclusive, make the most of every moment approach that we take to our customer conversations.”

The story of the advert has also been turned into a children’s Christmas storybook with all profits being donated to the NSPCC to help fund its vital Childline service over the Christmas season.

The campaign retains the philosophy of M&S’ ‘Spend it Well’ brand platform launched earlier this year – encouraging customers to focus on the people, experiences and things that matter to them most, something that is never more important than at Christmas.